Skeletal Hill Life is going to swallow me whole

Through the seemingly ever present mist, the boy looked upon the sloping pile of bleached bones with an expression caught somewhere between fascination and horror. He hadn’t meant to wander so far, especially on his own, but with so many bodies about who was really going to miss him? It was easy to sneak being so small, especially with the incessant buzz of insects and birds covering any accidental noises you might make. Before he knew it, the scent and safety of home had drifted away. Out here, in this break in the trees, the world suddenly felt a whole lot bigger, and colder.

A tentative pumpkin moved to step forward, curling back against his pale chest as a shudder wracked his body. Where had all these bones come from? And what could possibly be at the top? Curiosity warred with with young boys sense of self preservation, he knew better than to wander past the markers and yet here he stood, slack jawed and frozen in time and space.

In the distance a branch cracked under something heavy, and the child folded in on himself, ears turning against his skull and broom tucked close. A shaking of branches was all it took to have the young warrior running back towards the safety of home. When he was bigger, he would wander back and scale the bone mountain to see what was at its peak, but for right now? He had to get home before anyone realised he was missing.